Mahnoor Cheema, 18, wins Oxford offer after passing 23 A levels

Mahnoor Cheema, 18, a former student of north London’s Henrietta Barnett School (HBS), scored 19 grades A/A*, the Telegraph said.

She has an IQ of 161, putting her in a highly gifted category, along with scientists such as Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein.

British Pakistani student Cheema was quoted as saying, “I was absolutely set on it [studying medicine at Oxford]. There was not a world in my mind where I would not get in. That is not cocky, but that was my determined life path.

“If I did not get in, I would have reapplied.”

The teenager revealed it was a “nerve-wracking” decision to leave the grammar school, quitting in her second term at sixth form, in order to prepare for her A levels.

The report said Cheema scored four A*s in her first two months at the sixth form, in environmental management, marine science, English language and thinking skills.

However, when she expressed her interest in pursuing a further eight A levels, the school had concerns.

Cheema told the paper, “We had a few meetings with the school and the school said, ‘We do not think academically this is the best choice. You are missing a lot of lessons.’ I assured them on the academic side and they said ‘not just academically’.

“They said they thought in general it was a loss to miss out on so much of my school life, which I disagreed with. I do not think I was missing out but I could see why they felt that way. We sorted that and said there would be no absences other than for exams.”

Supported by her mother, Cheema revealed she studied from home.

She said gifted and talented children need help to realise their potential.

“In my opinion gifted children also count as children with special education needs and deserve extra and appropriate support.”

As A level results were announced earlier this week, a north London school celebrated the academic achievement of its students.

Avanti House Sixth Form, in Stanmore, said 31 per cent of all grades were A*-A, with 58 per cent at A*-B and students have secured places at Oxford, Warwick University, King’s College London, LSE, and UCL.

Some have opted for apprenticeships with KPMG, Slaughter and May, Jaguar Land Rover, and Barclays.

The school received an outstanding Ofsted inspection in June 2025, with praise for the sixth form’s high-quality teaching, exceptional careers provision and strong leadership opportunities.

Principal Simon Arnell said, “We are so proud of the results. We have maintained incredibly high outcomes and given our students amazing opportunities to flourish and become spiritually compassionate changemakers in their next steps, whether this is at university and top companies across the country.”